20 Instant Pick Me Ups
Or
how to feel happy,
how to stay happy,
and how to be happy again!
Feeling Low
Feeling Flat?
Need some inspiration?
Need some motivation?
We all do at some point in time.
Bookmark this list in your favourites and come back to it and try something new every time you’re feeling blue…
Check out these 20 things to help get you moving and feeling better - instantly!
I have listed them in order of accessibility. Meaning from instant inspiration to more long term motivation solutions.
1. Massage
Massage therapy is one of those instant pick me ups. One of the reasons we are feeling low is that constant tension we all hold in our bodies without realising it.
Releasing that tension is an instant pick me up.
Personally I try to get a good massage for 30 minutes 1-2 times per week. I go to a lovely Chinese lady. She is happy, has a positive attitude and magic hands!
Anytime I find myself feeling flat - I book a massage. When you get right massage it can invigorate you like nothing else.
Just Google massage therapy near me and give it a go!
2. Change of Scenery
You might be thinking "I need to change my life" but sometimes making small incremental changes can make all the difference.
Change of scenery meaning change your location or change your environment.
The beauty of working remotely these days is we can work from anywhere. Take your computer and phone and make some calls from the backyard, the front porch or the park. If it’s an option, travel somewhere and stay a few days.
Alternatively, you could do a little cheerful redecorating. Spruce it up a little.
3. Get Some Exercise
The benefits of exercise on mental health are well known but to get a sense of it, give it a go yourself.
Brain fog?
Can't focus?
Trouble concentrating?
Get up.
Move around.
Sometimes we don't feel like but we always feel better after.
So think of it as medicine.
Just has to be done.
Maybe book in some sessions for the week.
Or set yourself a reminder.
Try a Fitbit. I had a contract at a company where I was sitting at a desk 8-9 hours per day. Purchasing a Fitbit really helped push me to keep active. Walk every hour, not just on my lunch break and mornings because that wasn't not enough.
The mental benefits of exercise are 100x.
The benefits of exercise and mental health are-
increased clarity
broader perspective
deeper concentration
more energy
and greater motivation
Suggestions-
dance class - salsa, ballroom, zumba
horse riding
swimming
running
cycling
walking
yoga/pilates
weights
4. Walk Benefits
Is walking good for you?
Absolutely.
Plus gentle on the joints.
This can be a great opportunity to clear your head, and get some fresh air and sunshine at the same time.
Perhaps listen to a podcast, uplifting music or a walking meditation.
I love this one.
So simple.
Yet so profound.
5. Meditate
You knew motivation meditation would be on this list, for sure.
But meditation doesn't have to be daunting.
Being an active person (who spends way too much time working on my computer) I love walking meditation. Yes, you can walk and meditate at the same time. I learnt about that when I stayed at the Buddhist Temple for a retreat.
You can meditate anytime, any place.
Don’t get boxed in by rules.
The point is to meditate, not get put off, by trying to define it.
It doesn’t have to be religious or zen or transcendental meditation, just needs to help you feel better, lighter, happier.
Put on some calm music or relaxing music and give it a go.
The benefits of mindfulness meditation are incredible.
It doesn't cost anything except your time.
And even that you get back tenfold with increased meditation benefits for brain function including improved concentration, clarity and memory.
6. Listen To Music For Motivation
One of my Spotify playlists is Lift My Spirit. Some groovy old soul motivational songs that do just that. Lift my spirit. I put it on in the mornings on my walk, after my walking meditation.
You can listen to inspirational songs anytime, anywhere and choose the music that makes you feel good. When you're cleaning, working, studying, training, eating.
7. Take A Schvitz - Bath/ Spa/ Steam/ Sauna
This is a quick pick me up.
Something about sweating it out, and/or being submerged in water, helps us to relax, release aggression, and feel lighter and more optimistic.
Doesn’t have to be a luxury sauna, steam or bath, just sweat it out!
8. Eat Less*
Sometimes when we are feeling heavy or have brain fog, it is simply because we have eaten too much, too often.
So stop eating!
Obviously not forever.
But let's say you’re reading this in the morning, at work. You are feeling lethargic and just generally crappy.
You Google - how to feel motivated and here you are.
So here’s your chance.
Skip lunch
Yep, that’s right.
I said it.
Just because it’s lunch time doesn’t mean you have to eat.
Try one of the myriad of other things on this list, on your lunch break instead of eating.
You will feel
Lighter
In control
Clear headed
Happier
Almost instantly!
You can skip a meal anytime of day.
Skip dinner - notice how much light you feel in the morning.
Of course keep your fluids up and don’t make yourself sick, but most people that have access to reading this, probably have eaten a decent meal that can last them a good 12 hours.
*Not suitable for diabetics and hypoglycemics.
9. Go To Bed Early
In order to get motivated we need energy.
If you get good sleep motivation will increase organically.
If you get to sleep by 10pm we sleep better and deeper.
Better to wake up early.
Sleep is very different depending on the time of night we commence. Quality of sleep is superior when you sleep by 10pm. The same 8 hours commenced after 10pm is not the same at all.
The old wives tale of “every hour of sleep before midnight, is worth 2 after midnight” rings true.
Try it and notice the difference.
10. Change It Up!
Yep.
Talk to someone new.
Walk a different route home.
Eat something you haven’t tried before.
The neuronal pathways in the brain become like a well trodden path.
Same old, same old.
Let’s light the spark and get the neurons firing again.
Maybe start on that bucket list.
11. Realistic expectations
Or
Be Kind To Yourself
It’s great to set goals and have interests but at the same time there are only 24 hours in a day.
The pressure we put on ourselves sometimes to be all things to all people is just crazy.
It’s great to do things well but being a perfectionist means we are never satisfied with what we have. Nothing and no-one is perfect and if you put that kind of pressure on yourself - it can be unmotivating. Why do it all if it can’t be perfect. There should be a moment
12. Get Some Fresh Air
Fresh air, or the lack of, has been linked to confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, depression and fatigue and more.
If you work in a climate controlled building, ie, with air conditioning and heating with no source of fresh air then you may notice these symptoms.
You may not be able to change your work place but you can get out for a walk every hour or so. Set yourself a reminder.
Particularly if you are feeling down and unmotivated, use your lunch and tea breaks to get some fresh air and sunshine.
13. Get Some Sunshine
Getting some sun can give us an instant pick me up. It also has a compound energy boost over time.
When the skin is exposed to sunlight, it produces Vitamin D. A fabulous energy boost.
However, I believe sunlight has many more positive affects that have yet to be qualified.
Low vitamin D can lead to low energy levels and has been linked to a myriad of health issues.
So, spend your lunch hour, or go for a walk, have your dinner or take your laptop outside. I love to take my computer to a park bench and work outside in nature.
14. Get Hydrated
If you manage to achieve hydration energy levels will naturally increase.
Drink some water or better yet, try the Master Cleanse Juice. It’s an instant nutrient boost and energy lift.
15. Tell Someone, Something Nice
Deflecting from ourselves and telling someone something nice is a win/win. You make someone else’s day and you get a surge of feel good endorphins from making someone else smile.
How to be nice to someone? You don't have to be fake about it. Just look for something positive about them and comment.
16. Listen To A Podcast
One of my favourite things to do at the moment.
There are so many good ones out there nowadays.
Interesting, informative and sometimes quirky.
This is one of my favourites at the moment.
It’s entrepreneurial and the interviewer has an upbeat positive attitude that always lifts my day…
Here are some of the best uplifting podcasts -
17. Talk To A Counsellor
I recently started this one myself. You don’t need to have some sort of deep seated Woody Allen neurosis to talk to a trained counsellor.
It is something I look forward to every 2 weeks.
We don’t spend the whole hour talking about me, me, me either.
We often spend much of the time discussing interesting topics in general.
If I have a problem I may bring it up,
but the important thing is
I feel empowered after our talks.
Better yet - talk to a therapist online.
No muss.
No fuss.
No excuses.
18. Help Someone/Volunteer
This is about taking the focus off ourselves and thinking about someone else for a change.
The more we dwell on our own life and our real or imagined problems, the more we can retreat down the rabbit hole of self pity and self fulfilling prophecies of loser ville.
This doesn’t have to be a big deal like signing up to be a big brother or big sister, although a great thing to do, no doubt.
It could be as simple as-
Calling a friend or family member or neighbour and really listening and hearing their story. Giving them the time of day.
Cooking a meal for someone that could really use a meal cooked for them. To share with them or drop it over to them.
There are so many volunteer opportunities out there.
Just Google - volunteer opportunities near me.
Help someone. If you have the capacity or skill to help someone out with something, do it.
19. Get a Pet
Getting a pet is not something to enter into lightly, but has significant long term effects on mental and emotional health. The benefits of having a pet include -
caring for another being helps take our minds off our own self and problem.
helps relieve loneliness
makes us feel loved
keeps us company when we are down and in need of some tlc.
20. Learn Something New Everyday
This can be absolutely anything and is obviously more of a long term motivator but learning something new improves the neuroplasticity of the brain and heightens excitement. Also helps us to focus on something else, ie takes our minds off our problems or stressors.
Personally, I am learning French. Something I have always wanted to do, and now more than ever, so easy and economical.
I tried out many tutors before I settled on 4 different people I have an interesting conversation with every week.
My goal was to find people that understood and agreed to just “talk” with me. I didn’t want them to “teach” me per se.
Like back in school.
Didn’t work then, and not going to work now.
For sure.
So, bonus, I have met some interesting people from all over the world, that I would never have met otherwise, and have fascinating conversations on video chat, about their lives and mine, in another language.
Can’t get more cerebrally engaged than that.
Highly recommend. Want to give it a go?
I use Preply -
So that's the list for now. Leave a comment and let me know how you go or maybe you can add to the list.
Don't forget to bookmark this article and come back to it every time you need a pick me up and try something else.
We all feel blue sometimes, it's a matter of not giving up!
By Sienna Wolke
References
By Sienna Wolke
Inspirational Yoga Teacher.